Cristiano Ronaldo disappointed once again by the best trophy: Another Setback
At the time of the awards ceremony, the Portuguese genius is increasingly being forgotten. This was the case again on Thursday.
The list of nominees for The Best Men’s Trophy was revealed on Thursday. Cristiano Ronaldo is not part of it. Just like with the Ballon d’Or France Football, it was deemed that he no longer deserved to aim for the biggest individual awards.
Ronaldo was snubbed even though he won the FIFA Best Player award twice (in 2016 and 2017). His omission, however, is not a big surprise, as he hasn’t been on the podium since 2020.
Messi a Candidate for His Own Succession
Lionel Messi, Erling Haaland, and Kylian Mbappé are among the candidates for the FIFA Best Men’s Player award in 2023.
Messi, a seven-time Ballon d’Or winner, is the current holder of the most prestigious individual award given by the world football governing body. He is back to defend his crown after helping Argentina win the World Cup in Qatar in 2022.
Mbappé, the Paris Saint-Germain star who scored a hat-trick for France in the World Cup final, is also among the contenders. He is actually the only French nominee.
Haaland is another strong contender for the top prize after contributing 52 goals to Manchester City’s historic treble of the Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League in 2022-23. English international Rice, who captained West Ham to victory in the Europa Conference League last season, is nominated, which must certainly please his new club, Arsenal, according to goal.com.
Kevin De Bruyne, Julian Alvarez, and Bernardo Silva join their teammate Haaland on the list of nominees. Rodri, after his winning goal in the 2023 Champions League final, is also on the list alongside Ilkay Gundogan, his former teammate at Etihad Stadium, who led City to their memorable victories before moving to Barcelona.
